Improvement in addressing-machines



- G. GIBBoNs. lADDlEESSllNTGf MACHINE.

No. 9 3,527. Patented Aug. 1o, 1869.

- amlrepresent, in-

larged; and in much time as to print the wh ready for mailing GEORGE G-IBBONS, OF MEVFIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 93,527,

lated August 10, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN ADDREssING-MACHINES.

The Schedule referred to i these Letters Patent and'making part of the same.

To'all whom it may concern:

Be it known .that I, GEORGE GIBnONs, of M county ofNew Haveinand State of Oonnectic invented a new and useful Improvement in the of' Mailing or Directing Newspapers, Pe1io and I do herebysdeclare the following to be and exact description ofthe same, rel'erene to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

lSaid drawings constitute eriden, ut, have Method licals, 85o.; a full, clear, e being had part of this sliecilicatioii,

Figure 1, a side view of a common cylinder printing-press, with my improved directing or mailing-device attached; in

Figure 2, a longitudinal section-of the same, to more i clearly illustrate the operation of the chain; in

Figure 3, a side viewof a portion of the chain en- Figure 4, a top or plan view of the same.

Similar letters of' reference, where they occur in the separate views, indicate like parts.

My invention relates to an improvement in themethod of mailing or directing newspapers or other periodicals, and consists in providing the press or printing-machine with a series of hinged links, each link bearing the i name of a subscriber. This chain is so constructed I and arranged as to be carried over a roll or hexagonal I revolving block at the head of the form. The roll or i the level of the surface of the type in the form, so that when au impressionis taken of the said type, I the impression of the link will also be taken, and, by l a newlink of the chain is l a suitable feeding-device, advanced on to the said roll after each impression.

n is to supply the want The object of .my inventio long felt among publishers for sonic means oi' rapidly directing newspapers and periodicals.V The common mode of directing has been either by writing or pn'nting the name of the subscriber upon the paper, or by I pasting or otherwise fasteningr a slip, with the naine printed thereon, to the said paper'. All these ways necessitate a separate operation, and take nearly as! V ole paper. All this trouble is obviatcd by the use of niy invention, by which a papel' or periodical is automatically directed, simultaneously with the printing of 'block over which the said chain is carried is of the proper size and shape to bring one of the links up to the same.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the construction and operation of thezsame.

A is the frame of a common cylinder printing-press, furnished with a bed-plate, B, which supports the several parts of the press, aml to which the operative 'f parts of my improvement are attached.

-O is a chain, consisting of a series of hinged links, I a o a, the joints heilig formed entirely upon theuuder side, so that the upper side is left perfectly iiat and smooth, as shown in iig. 3. I

Y may require.

Upon the smooth surface Ofcach of these links a name is either engraved, sun'k by means of dies, or otherwise alilxed, in the manner shown in tig. 4. These links, a a a, are each madex exactly ofthe same size, and are connected togetherby pins in such a manner that a link can be readily taken out and replaced by another, or a new link added, as the case After this chain O is uished, one end of it is attached to a reel, 1), which is held in proper bearings upon the bed-platcB of the press. The chain from this reel is carried up over the end ofthe slide G, which holds the chase, through the ledge of the inking-bed,

. along the side ot the said 'chase and over the hexagonal revolving block E, at the head of the form. At each corner ot' this block, and running' lengthwise across the same, a groove is placed, for the reception of the hinge 4or joint which connects the links al a a, in order, that as 'they pass over the said block, they may lie solid and firm upon the surface of the said block, between the said grooves.

Just outside the bearings which' support the rc volving block E, a hexagonal disk' is placed, the sides of which exactly correspond with those of the block E.. This disk is opera-ted upon by a spring, which is held to the side of the slide G, as shown in dotted lines in g. l. The object of this disk and spring isto hold the block E and links a a a in their proper Y positions while an .impression is being made.

After the chain has left the block E, it passes down,- ward and over vanother grooved roll, F. This said rll F is held in standards upon the bed-plate B. The object of this roll is to act upon the cha-in as afeedingdevice; and in order to prevent the hinges or joints upon the links from slipping out of the grooves, on the rolll F, I place another small roll, b, (which travels loosely in sliding bearings,) just over the said roll F. Between these two rolls the chain is passed, and by the action of the roll b the hinges or joints are pressed into the grooves in the roll F, and held in their proper positions while the chain is being fed. Upon the shaft of the said roll F a ratchet-wheel, H, is placed, which is operated upon by the pawl I, attached to theslide G. This pawl is arranged to turn the ratchet H and roll F such a portion of one revolution as to advancel thc chain one link upon thc said roll F.

short distance back of this feeding-dcvioc, and held in proper bearings upon the bed-plate B,'I place another roll,.J, to whiclrthe end of the chain is attached, and which serves as a reel to wind the chain upon after it has passed through the press. This roll J is also provided with a ratchet similar to that upon the feed-roll F, which is operated by the same pawll I, upon the slide G. The object of this is to provide a means of taking up the slack chain as fast as it is advanced through the feeding-device.

I also provide the roll or reel J and its ratchet with a friction-clutch, to prevent the chain from being broken, for as thc chain increases upon the roll, the less part of a. circle will have to be described in order to take up thc slack. The stroke ofthe pawl being,r of a certain length, the intermittent revolution of the reel (by the operation of the said friction) is governed by the chain. The ratchet is revolved the full stroke of the pawl I, wlile the rcel J will be stopped when the i slack chain is taken up. I also provide. this rcel J with aiiotliei` ratchet d and pawl e, acting thereon to prevent the said reel and chain froni receding.

This completes the construction ot' niy improvenient. 'lhe operation is as follows:

'lhc chain is rst placed iiithc machine, attached to the several rolls, as before described.

. v 1 I The first operation, after motive-power is applied to the press, is that of inkiug the type, which is done in the usual inainier.` The plain surface of the link is also inked by the saine operation. The sunk lettcrsiu the surface ofthe said lilik will remain clear. Where raised letters are used upon the link, they will be prepared in the saineniauner as ordinary type. After hiking, the slide G advances under the cylinder, earrying with it the chain, the link which has been inked being held in position upon the block E. The sheet of paper, having been previously placed upon the surface ofthe cylinder, is pressed down by the said cylinder upon the link and thc type, and an iinpressioiiis taken, iirst of the link, and afterward the remainder of the type.

As the slide (i advances, the paivl I coines in coiltact with the ratchet H, (which operates the feed-roll 19,) and carries it forward. When this ratchet has performed a sufficient portion of a revolution te cause anew link to take the place of its predecessor upon the feed-roll, the pawl I is thrown out of the ratchet 1-I by an incline, placed for thatpurposc. The pawl l is afterward carried along by the advancing slide G, and brought in connection with the ratchet upon the reel J'. lhis lati-het also, caused hy the stroke ofthe pawl, describes a certain portion of a'revohitioii, and thc reel J revolves with it sutlieiently to take up all the slack chain which there inay be between the said reel J and the feeding-device F. If there is an aiiioinit of chain wound upon the said reel, the chain,

I when straightened, will hold the roll stationary without breaking the link, while the friction-clutch will allow the ratchet to pass on the full stroke of the pawl.

'heu the chain has all been passed through theI machine, and :ill the naines printed, the pawl i, is raised so that it will not operate upon the ratehets. The sprintIr is thrown oil' fi'oin the disk connected with the block E, and the chain is wound back on to thc rcel D, ready for starting with the next issue.

In printing a large iiuinber of papers there will occasioiially he one spoiled. In order to readily ascertain which one is iiiissing,I place a niiinber after each subscribers naine, and by glancing at these nninbers, as the papers are folded, I ain 'able to detect it if onc is missing, 'ind by turning to that nunibei' npoii thel list the corresponding naine is found. llhis, however, seldoiii occurs, so that it is no detriinent to niy niethod of directing.

I ha've now described one iiiethod of attaching the chain to a. press. I do not coiiline ni'vself, however, to this particular inode or inecliaiiisin for applying iny iinproveinent, as 1 ani aware that there inay be i other ways of producing the same result in a, better i and elieapei' inaniier; but iVhat I elaini as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,.is-

1. Vlrhe inode of mailing or directing` newspapers oi' periodicals simultaneously with the printing of the saine, substantially in the nianiier and for the purpose as herein set forth and described.

2. The hinged links n a a, each bearing: asubscribcrs naine, in combination with the block E and feeding-device F, when applied to any hand, cylinder, or revolving-type priiitiiig-inacliinc, in the. inaiuieil and for the purpose substantially as herein described.

GEORGE GIBHONS.

Witnesses:

M. L. DELGRAU, Runes 1I. Samoan. 

